The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-30
AMERICAN WOMEN IN PARIS.
Fascinated with the Disreputable Haunts OF
the Gay City-How They Are Criticised.

AMERICAN WOMEN IN PARIS.
Fascinated with the Disreputabie Haunts of
the Gay City-How They Are Criticised.
Lucy Hooper. in Philadelphia Evening Telegraph.
The other day was paying call at the house
OF a married lady friend. when young American
GIRL then visiting Paris for the first time, and
very intimate terms with my hostess made
mary conversation the newcomer turned TO the
HUSBAND of my friend and said: Now, Mr.
e. want you to take me to all the naughty
places in Paris-the Foies Bergere, the Jardin
de Paris, the Elysee Montmartre, the Black
Cat etc" Excuse me, Miss =" made
answer the gentleman. II shall do nothing of
the kind. / am willing to take you where l take
my own daughter and where else His
young guest aughingy comoatted his resolu-
ton for some little time. but in vain. "Well,
then, will have to get some else to take
me, that is all" she remarked she took her
departure; and l believe that she did, for 1
heard OF her having made her appearance at the
Folies Bergere unchaDeroned THAT is to say, es-
corted by gentleman only few evenings
later
Now will any body explain to me the source Of
the fascination that the dIsreputable haunts of
Paris appear to exercise over the minds of a
tain perfectly respectable class of American
women? The scenes that they yearn to witness
are always dlsGracefui, and In many instances
disgusting. letunmarried girls from our shores
may be seen staring with wide open eyed intent
ness at the feats of La Goulue and Grille d'Eeout
or at the can can at the Jardin de Paris or rub
DANES in the promenoir at the Folies Bergere.
This last Is a variety show. where drinking
and smoking are permitted In the auditorium.
Around this auditorium runs a wide gallery,
which IS the chosen walk around" of the low
est women to be found in the whole city. 1t is
not the place that any respectable married
woman ought to visit, much less young girl OF
decent character and manners. No Frenchman
would consent 10 take his wife there, and he
would swoon with horror if any one suggested
to him that it would be well to bring there
n dan Vat
American maidens well, think it is good
fun" to visit such places for a lark. They are xc,
be seen serenely viewing the vulgaritiss Of a
quadrllle at the Bal Butler 1.-THE Students Ball
or delghting IL the indecepcies of the car.
at the Jardn de Paris, gazing with dazzled
eyes at the frolics of the hired dancers at a
masked ball at the Grand Opara. But this last
y On terrain rnent may perhaps DO conceded to the
inquisitive researches of countrywomep.
Secluded in box on the grand tier. shrouded in
dominos and disguised with masks. they may,
without any grave breach of decorum. look
at spectacle to which the lights and
the music. and the gay dresses. and the
splendors of the theater itself, lend something
of a redeeming artistic element. That is, if
they do not go forth into the Hobbies down
upon the dancing floor to witness the grossly
indicate scenes that are always transpiring
there But that is what they pine to do I'VE
want to see everything" is their usual cry wnen
a ny restriction is placed upon their powers of
investigation. Take, for example. also. their
wishes with regard to the Eden Theater. That
mouse, during the reign of the great Italian bal
lets-Excelsior. Sieba, etc.-was one of the
most respectable and best-frequented thsatsrs
auditorium was concerned. The most
severely proper OF the Partisan matrons, native
as well as foreign. used to go there with their
daughters. But upstairs in the promenoirs
very different style of things prevailed, and
very different class of persons present
Drinking, smoking and the demi-monde reigred
there supreme And, a rule the newly
arrived American female, who was taken TO the
Eden, always insisted on promeuading in the
promenoir. and would get quite in
suited if accosted by any enterpris-
ing Partisan VINO might chance to mis-
take her fer what she was not and
what she had indsputably given herself out as
reproach used to be addressed to respectable
women to the effect that they would not suffer
their skirts to so much as brush against the
garments of a fallen woman My country people,
we have changed all that. Virtuous American
women not only brush skirts but rub shoulders
with the most notorious of the Partisan dem-
monde women, whom it is the height OF fiattery
to call cocottes. much lower do they rate in
the scale of vice.
Now, what is the source of this morbid curl
osity respecting things unclean on the part of
decorous and decently reared American women
and why do they want to come to Paris to graft
fly this singular tastel There are variety shows,
and cafe concerts. and dsreputab'a balls In ev-
cry large city in the known world-in the
United States as we'll AS in Europe. We should
consider it decidedly odd, not to say improper
if any Of the French or English tourists in Amer
lca Who were ladies by birth and breeding, should
evince a marked desire to frequent such haunts
in New York, or Chicago San Francisco.
And it Is rather trying to q Franco-American
hostess to have one of her French gentlemen
guests say to her few days after they had
been at her house to a dinner party, II
Miss X, whom met at your dinner last
week, at the Jardin de Paris the other evening""
For the lady so addressed knows perfectly we'll
that it is impossible to persuade any Frenchman
living of the unquestionable morality of any
young girl who will visit such places. No decent
,i4A -
ever be seen there, and he only Judge of
the manners and morals of fo-sign ladies by the
native standard in such cases
And what is the use what good is to be done
what knowledge derived-nay, even, what de-
gree of amusement is there to be obtained by
going to such placesl Let the hands be- never so
spotess, the touching of pitch is deteriorating
process No young girl can witness such scenes
without parting with some degree of her maid
emily purity of thought and ideas. I. an old
married woman. a writer for years for American
papers, cannot venture to put into writing a de-
scription of the scenes that these enterprislng
damseis delight ir looking upon. Months ago
photographs of the most celebrated of the
dancers of the can-can, Grille d'Egout and La
Gouue, in the act of going through one of their
Dances were confiscated by the police as too in
decent for public exhibition and sale Yet
there are American girls to be found who are
willing to look upon the actual performance.
Nor is this the worst There are certain
houses in Paris whose character can be more
easily guessed at than descently described and
whose furniture and decorations are in some in
stances exceptionally superb. Across the
threshold of such establishment no decent
woman ought ever to set her foot. It is indeed,
hard to imagine any reputable woman being
willing to do Yet so frequent have been the
applications of respectable female American
tourists for admission to view the interior Of the
more noted of these houses. that some of the
Partisan Wallets e-piace have arranged to take
parties OF American women TO see them at a
tariff OF four dollars head. This regret to
say, is a kuAwn and indisputable fact in the an
mails of Partisan sightseeing at the present day.
Now it must be understood that these seers of
sights that ought not to be sAen form the vida